On making decisions...........

I was really trying to make October a positive month. I thought I could do it. I made it all of one day. It was literally like 24 hours. It started because I was in a bit of a funk. I didn't know what was wrong. I was talking to a guy I know and he helped. And then..................

Then I realized people suck. All people. I think its just inherent in human nature. Maybe that is too harsh. People are neither inherently good nor inherently bad. People are inherently interested in what is best for them. So people make decisions based on what they think is best for them. Secondary considerations do not matter.

It takes a person to make a conscious effort to stop and think "How might this affect someone else?" It takes more of an effort to think "How could this be a positive thing?" and "How could this be a negative thing?"

Think about it. It is almost lunch time. Most people are thinking "What do I want for lunch?" It is an easy question. It is also, by its nature, only about you. It is not about anyone else. Look at it again. It doesn't ask what does your coworker want for lunch. It asks simply what do you want for lunch.

Now, what you have for lunch, may be none of my business. It probably is none of my business. I get that. But, your decision could have an impact on other people. For example, what about Suzie, sitting in her cubicle? Has anyone asked what she wants for lunch? It may not be the act of having lunch with Suzie that makes a hill of beans of difference in her life. It may be the act of ASKING that makes a difference. Maybe Suzie is a bitch. Maybe she smells. Maybe she doesn't shower. And, maybe, just maybe, she couldn't afford to buy soap or her washing machine broke and she can't get to the laundromat. Maybe she feels bad and stays to herself because of it. And, maybe she just wants someone to invite her, even though she woudn't go.  So the fact that you don't ask, can have a negative impact on someone else. Do you HAVE to ask? Nope. Should you ask? Yep.

Of course, if you ask, maybe you find out that Suzie's husband is sick. Or her car broke down. Or her child is struggling in school. Maybe you find out something simple, like Suzie needs someone to cover her for an hour next Friday. And maybe that is something you can do. But you only find out if you ask because Suzie is too shy/embarrassed/whatever to ask.

Look, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the world is a small place. It gets smaller with technology. 10 years ago, no one would read this. Hell, today no one is probably reading this. But, someone may stumble upon it. With Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest and whatever else is out there, its easy for people to figure out what is going on in your life and for you to see what is going on in their lives.

So maybe now, more than ever, it would make the world a better place if we all stopped and thought "What about someone else?" Would it be nice if we did it with every decision? Probably, but that is also unrealistic. So, maybe we just start small, with one decision. Maybe we just think about our friends and family when we make decisions.

Or, as is more likely, maybe I am just full of some naive view of the world and no one will listen.